


The Ruse

by goshinote



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Kagome blushes a lot in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27986931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goshinote/pseuds/goshinote
Summary: Kagome is pining for the football star who doesn't even know her name. Inuyasha wants to get back at a cheating ex-girlfriend. When they come up with a ruse to try and get what they both want, they might wind up finding something a little better.Originally posted to FFN on 8/18/2020
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads-up that Inuyasha is a bit OOC in this story. He still has characteristics of the Inuyasha we all know and love, but there are a few liberties I've taken with him.
> 
> Also, Kikyo is in this story, and it's gonna seem like I'm bashing her character but I'm just using her name/character because she's Inuyasha's ex in the manga/anime. I'm not trying to hate on Kikyo.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takashi.

**The Ruse: Part I**

When the loud bell interrupted the long tangent on which her teacher had been droning, Kagome sighed in relief.

"Class dismissed," her teacher said. "Don't forget to do the assigned reading for tomorrow."

Kagome stood up and tossed her notebook into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. It was her lunch period, so she hurried to the lunchroom to find her best friend.

It wasn't hard to spot Sango, with the stylish ribbon in her hair and her pink eyeshadow, sitting at their usual table. Kagome made her way over to her and waved when Sango caught sight of her.

"Hey, Kagome," Sango greeted when Kagome sat down. "How was History?"

Kagome groaned. "You know how Mr. Totosai is. He starts talking about one thing, then it leads to another, then another, and then he's talking about something completely random. I love studying History, but he makes it tough to enjoy actually being in class." Sango laughed.

"I'm so glad I got the other teacher for History," she said. "With the way you talk about Mr. Totosai, I don't think I'd be able to take it."

Kagome shook her head and pulled out her lunch. "I don't really care. I have a near perfect grade in that class so it's not that big of a deal. I learn everything from the readings and homework."

"And me," Sango teased. Kagome smiled.

"Yes, Sango, and you. We all know you're the smartest person in the school." Sango blushed, but Kagome was right. Sango was well on her way to having the highest marks in the entire school, which had gotten her an early acceptance into the university she'd be attending after they graduated.

As she and Sango ate and chatted about their days, Kagome's thoughts drifted to the future.

She and Sango were seniors and had attended school together their whole lives. Sango was only a week older than Kagome, so they'd always celebrated their birthdays together, even their most recent eighteenth birthday. Kagome's application for the university to which Sango had already been accepted was being processed, and she was optimistic about her chances of getting in.

"Kagome, he's coming," Sango whispered suddenly. Kagome blushed, knowing exactly who Sango meant, and subtly glanced up.

With his long, black ponytail swinging behind him and his piercing blue eyes scanning the lunchroom, Koga was walking like he owned the place.

Kagome's heart skipped a beat when he glanced in her direction. Before he could meet her gaze, she looked away and blushed even more.

"Why don't you just ask him out?" Sango asked exasperatedly. "You've had a crush on him forever!"

Kagome frowned. "Shh!" she shushed. "Do you want the whole _school_ to know?" Sango rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Kagome," Sango chided. Kagome flicked a small crumb from her sandwich at her.

"I'll ask Koga out," Kagome began, "when you finally go out with Miroku." It was Sango's turn to blush at that.

"Miroku flirts with everyone," Sango replied. "He probably just asked me out as a reflex or something."

Kagome shook her head. "If you say yes, you could find out."

Sango shrugged. "I could say the same to you," she said pointedly.

They laughed and continued eating, their conversation changing to the homework they would have that evening. Kagome snuck a final glance at Koga as he ate with his friends, her heart clenching a bit like it always did when she looked at him.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha rolled his eyes when his phone lit up with a text message.

**I'm so sorry, baby. Can we please just talk about this?**

The silver-haired boy scoffed. _Yeah, right._

If he hadn't been born with silver hair, he probably still would have had it based on how much stress Kikyo was causing him.

_It feels like I'm eighteen going on eighty._

He shoved the phone back into his pocket before his teacher could tell him to put it away. Inuyasha's girlfriend-well, now his _ex_ -girlfriend, had been trying to get in touch with him since the previous night, but he'd ignored all her calls and text messages and had somehow managed to keep out of her sight in the hallways. He was just grateful they didn't have any classes together.

Kikyo had been super stressed about a class she was struggling in, and she'd mentioned to Inuyasha how worried she was about the test. After finding out she'd gotten an A, Inuyasha decided to go over to her house with flowers as a surprise congratulatory gesture.

But after her mom let him in and he went up to her bedroom, he found Kikyo kissing the guy that had been tutoring her for the test.

Karma bit Kikyo in the butt, though, because when Inuyasha made a scene about her cheating, Kikyo's mom came to her room to see what was happening only to find a boy she _definitely_ didn't know lying comfortably on Kikyo's bed.

So not only did Inuyasha break up with her on the spot, Kikyo was also grounded, as her mother said, "until further notice."

At least he had that little bit of satisfaction.

Needless to say, he'd been in a bad mood the rest of the night and the whole day at school. He'd skipped lunch to further avoid Kikyo, so he'd holed up in an empty hallway while he begrudgingly munched on his chips.

So there he was: sitting in class avoiding the many texts from Kikyo. Now he just had to figure out how to leave the school without her seeing him. She knew what car he drove, so there was no doubt she'd be waiting there after the final bell rang.

_Maybe I can convince Miroku to drive me home,_ he thought to himself. _I can just walk to school tomorrow or something…_

He had to physically stop himself from sighing. It was hard to believe that he'd just celebrated his one year with Kikyo the month before and now... _this._

When the final bell rang, he walked to the bathroom, making sure to avoid any Kikyo sightings, and quickly sent a text to Miroku asking if he could hitch a ride with him, but after five minutes of no response, Inuyasha gave up.

_He's probably already driving home,_ Inuyasha realized.

He banged his head lightly against the stall door before waiting a few more minutes. Hoping the coast was clear, he peeked his head out from the bathroom and looked around for Kikyo.

He didn't see her, but there was another black-haired, blue-eyed girl standing near the boy's bathroom with her eyes glued to the door.

When Inuyasha made eye contact with her, she physically jumped, blushed, and looked away.

_That's Kagome,_ Inuyasha thought as he paused. _I wonder what she's doing._

He and Kagome had known each other since elementary school, but he wouldn't exactly call them friends. They were _friendly_ , but he considered her more of an acquaintance.

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha greeted as he walked past her. "Were you waiting for someone in the bathroom?"

There was that blush again.

"Uh, no," she replied quickly. "But...was there anyone else in there?"

"No," he said, bewildered. "Were you expecting someone to be?" Kagome shook her head.

"Nope," she replied. "No...no."

_She literally looks like she's about to choke,_ Inuyasha noticed. _What's wrong with her?_

"Okay, then," Inuyasha replied. "I'll see you later." He went to start walking away, but then he noticed Kikyo turn the corner to the hallway. She was walking with someone so she hadn't noticed him, but he wasn't about to risk it.

Cursing under his breath, he grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her back into the boy's bathroom with him.

Kagome squeaked and tried to get out, but Inuyasha kept his grip on her arm, making sure to be gentle.

"What are you _doing?"_ she asked.

"Shh!" Inuyasha said. "Don't talk!"

Inuyasha furtively peered out the door and saw Kikyo walking past the bathroom. He briefly wondered why she was still at school, but he figured when she didn't see him at his car, she came looking. She was walking in the direction of the parking lot, so he figured she was going back to wait at his car.

Inuyasha groaned.

"Can I leave now?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha let go of her arm and huffed.

"Sorry," he said gruffly. He figured Kagome would run for the hills at how weird he was acting, but she just looked at him in concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Inuyasha looked away.

"Yeah," he lied. "Sorry about...that."

Kagome shook her head. "It's alright. Was that Kikyo? Are you trying to hide from her?"

Inuyasha winced. "Kinda. It's a long story." Kagome seemed confused.

"Aren't you guys dating?" she asked. "Did you break up?"

Inuyasha huffed. "Yes," he snapped. "We did, and now she's stalking me around the school and probably waiting at my car for me so I can't leave because she's the _last_ person I want to see."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Yikes," she said simply. "That sounds tough." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"It's _annoying_ is what it is," he corrected. "So I just have to hide out here until she leaves."

Kagome shook her head. "I can give you a ride home," she offered. "Then you don't have to hang around here for who knows how long."  
Inuyasha hesitated. "No, thanks. I don't want to put you out like that." Kagome waved off his concern.

"It's not a problem," she assured him. "We've all been there." Inuyasha scoffed.

" _You've_ been stalked by a crazy ex?" he asked. Kagome laughed.

"Well, not quite," she replied. "But everyone has love problems sometimes. Now let's go, okay?"  
"Okay, fine," Inuyasha conceded. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Kagome smiled. "No problem. I'll walk out first to see if she's out there." Inuyasha nodded.

Once they'd reached the front door, Kagome checked the parking lot for Kikyo.

Just as Inuyasha expected, she was standing by his car, constantly checking her phone and wiping her eyes.

Kagome grimaced at Inuyasha. "Yikes, she's a mess." Inuyasha frowned at Kikyo.

"I don't care," he replied. "Where are you parked?"

Kagome was able to lead him to her car without being noticed by Kikyo. When they reached Kagome's car, Inuyasha threw himself inside and closed the door as quickly as possible before leaning the seat all the way back to keep cover.

He could practically _feel_ Kagome looking at him like he was crazy, but Inuyasha didn't want to take any risks when it came to Kikyo.

Golden eyes closing, Inuyasha sighed.

_How did my life come to this?_

O.o.O.o.O

When Kagome rushed from her final class to wait near the bathroom Koga tended to use after school, she definitely was _not_ expecting her afternoon to turn out the way it had.

Inuyasha, who she knew a little bit and thought was pretty cool, had been the one in the bathroom. Not only that, he'd _dragged_ her into the bathroom with him after seeing his girlfriend.

The entire time they were in the bathroom and then going to her car, her mind was racing with possibilities of what could have possibly happened to cause a situation like this with one of the most popular couples at school.

Well, Kikyo was popular, which meant Inuyasha was popular by association.

Once they'd left the school grounds and Inuyasha had put his seat back up into a sitting position before telling Kagome how to get to his house, Kagome wondered if he would answer if she asked what happened.

"You really helped me out with this," Inuyasha said. "So...if you wanna know what happened, I'll tell you."  
Kagome shook her head as she pulled out onto the main road. "You don't have to, but if you really _want_ to…"

Inuyasha chuckled lightly and began to tell her what happened.

When he finished talking, Kagome was in shock.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously. "You guys are, like, the perfect couple!"

Inuyasha grimaced. "We _were_ ," he corrected. "Well, kinda...but that's a whole other thing. I never expected her to cheat on me, though."

Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. That's gotta be tough."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'll be fine. It's just weird how this happened."

Unexpectedly, Inuyasha suddenly changed the topic.

"So," he began, "I told you why I was hiding from Kikyo. Do you wanna tell me why you were waiting at the boy's bathroom with your laser eyes on the door?"

Kagome was facing the road to drive, so she sincerely hoped Inuyasha couldn't see the blush on her cheeks.

"I was just standing there," she lied. "And I didn't have 'laser eyes.'" Inuyasha hummed.

"Sure," he said, sounding completely unconvinced. "And the sky is green."

Kagome huffed, but Inuyasha had confided in her, so maybe it would be okay to confide in him.

"I was waiting for a boy," she admitted. "But he wasn't in there."

She could feel Inuyasha's eyes on her.

"Interesting," he said. "Who?"

"I'm not-I-I'm not telling you!" Kagome sputtered.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Kagome. I told you about Kikyo, so you should tell me about your...guy or whatever you wanna call him."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "That's way different. Everyone already knew you and Kikyo were dating. No one knows about Koga."

She realized what she said too late.

Before she could backtrack or try to cover up her inadvertent admission, Inuyasha was barreling on.

"Ew, _Koga?_ " Inuyasha scoffed. "How could you _ever_ have a thing for him?"

Kagome brushed a stray hair out of her face in frustration. "He's nice and very handsome."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Okay, and? Have you ever had an actual conversation with him?"

Kagome didn't want to admit that, no, she hadn't ever talked to him or, no, he probably wouldn't know who she was, but Inuyasha had been honest with her so she didn't want to lie.

"Not really," she admitted. "And it's just a little crush. It's not a big deal."  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You were waiting after school by a boy's bathroom for him. That's more than a 'little crush.'"

Kagome gripped the steering wheel. "It's not a big deal." She glanced at Inuyasha. "What's your problem with him?"  
Inuyasha shrugged. "He's arrogant, especially since he joined the football team. It can get annoying."

The image of Koga wearing the football uniform during games, with the tight fabric outlining his-

_Stay focused!_ she scolded herself. _Don't think about his butt!_

Kagome shrugged. "He doesn't even know me so it's not like it matters how I feel."

She turned onto Inuyasha's street, immediately grateful that the conversation was coming to an end.

"Thanks for the ride," Inuyasha said as Kagome pulled up in front of his house.

She smiled. "No problem. Do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?" Inuyasha shook his head.

"Nah, Miroku can," he replied. "But thanks."

_I forgot he's best friends with Miroku!_ she recalled. _Maybe I can do a little matchmaking…_

Before Inuyasha could close the car door after getting out, Kagome stopped him.

"Hey, why don't you have lunch with me and my friend tomorrow?" she asked. "Since, well, since I'm guessing you won't be sitting with Kikyo."

Inuyasha seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Do you mind if Miroku does, too?"

_Jackpot!_

"No problem," Kagome said casually. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Inuyasha waved before he walked into his house.

As Kagome drove away, she grinned.

"Yes!" she said out loud.

_If I can't get Koga to talk to me, I can at least try and help Sango and Miroku get together._

o.O.o

The next day at lunch, Kagome made it to the table in record time. Sango hadn't even gotten there yet, and she was usually already sitting when Kagome arrived.

Sango seemed a little surprised to see Kagome already at the table, but she just smiled and came to sit down.

"You're here early," Sango commented as she pulled her lunchbox out. Kagome shrugged.

"I was hungry," she said casually. "I was a little eager to eat."

Sango laughed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"So," Kagome began, "I invited someone else to sit with us today."  
Sango nodded. "Okay. Who?"

Kagome glanced up to see Inuyasha walking in the lunchroom with Miroku right behind him.

"Inuyasha Takahashi," Kagome replied. "And...his friend."

Sango followed Kagome's line of sight. When she saw Miroku, she glared at Kagome.

" _Miroku?"_ she whispered. "Why would you invite him?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I invited _Inuyasha_ , but they're like us. They come as a packaged deal."

"Why would you invite Inuyasha in the first place?" Sango asked. "You barely know him."

Before Kagome could answer, Inuyasha came to sit down in the seat across from her.

"Hey," he greeted. "How's it going?"

"Hey, guys," Kagome greeted back. Miroku sat down, unsurprisingly, across from Sango.

"Sango, dearest," he cooed. "You're looking absolutely stunning today." Sango rolled her eyes but very visibly blushed.

"Oh, just choke on your lunch already," she retorted. She turned her attention to Inuyasha. "So what brings you guys here today? Why aren't you eating at Kikyo's table like usual?"

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a glance.

"I didn't get a chance to tell her yet," Kagome admitted. Inuyasha shrugged.

"No worries," he replied. "I can tell her."

Before Inuyasha could begin explaining, a shadow appeared over their table.

Looking up, Kagome saw the girl herself.

Kikyo was frowning down at Inuyasha, her black hair tossed over her shoulder and blue eyes flashing.

"Inuyasha," she said. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at our usual table?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Just go sit down. I don't want to talk to you right now...or ever."

Kikyo's mouth dipped into a frown as she glanced at Kagome sitting across from him.

"Hi, Kagome," she greeted. "Sorry I was being rude by not saying hi...I was just a little surprised to see Inuyasha over here."  
Kagome shrugged. "Well, he's here, so…"

"But why?" Kikyo asked, addressing Inuyasha again.  
Before Kagome even realized what was happening, Inuyasha was reaching across the table to take her hand and hold it firmly.

"I'm dating Kagome now," he said. "So leave me alone." Kikyo's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"You're...what?" she stuttered.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Yep, so bye."

In obvious shock, Kikyo just walked back over to her table.

Kagome was in shock as well.

Inuyasha let go of her hand, a look of apology on his face. He went to say something, but Sango cut in.

"You two are dating?" she asked. "Since _when?"_

"Yeah," Miroku added. "Since when? You and Kikyo broke up two days ago."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha expectantly.

"Care to explain?"

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha felt like an idiot.

He totally threw Kagome under the bus by saying they were dating, but he'd just said the first thing that came to his mind to make Kikyo go away.

Now here he was, three expectant pairs of eyes on him, waiting for him to explain what had just happened.

But then an idea came to him.

"Kagome," he said as he stood up. "Come with me." Without waiting for an answer, he took her hand and led her out of the lunchroom.

When they reached the hallway, Kagome was already protesting.

"What was all that about?" she asked. "Why would you say we're _dating?"_

Inuyasha held his hands up. "Just wait a second, okay? This is an opportunity."

Kagome looked at him like he was crazy. "Do you have a fever? Are you delirious?"  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "No, woman. I'm saying if we say we're dating, I can get back at Kikyo for cheating on me." Kagome frowned.

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked. "Don't you want to be the bigger person?"  
Inuyasha scoffed. "Nah, I'll pass on that. So what do you say?"

Kagome immediately shook her head. "No. I wish I could help, but-"

"It'll get Koga's attention."

That stopped Kagome's argument.

"What do you mean?" she asked skeptically.

_Hook, line, and sinker...but, like, in a nice and respectful way._

"Look, everyone knows Kikyo," he explained, "so everyone knows me. If you're dating me two days after Kikyo and I break up, people are most definitely going to notice you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Including Koga."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yep, including Koga."

Kagome was quiet for a moment, as if pondering his offering.

"I don't know," she said hesitantly. "How will it help if he thinks I'm dating another guy?"

"If he sees a girl I'm dating," he explained, "he'll want to date her, too. I half expect him to ask Kikyo out now, but she'll say no."

Kagome frowned. "So I'm second best? Kikyo says no so then he goes for me?" Inuyasha immediately shook his head.

"No way," he assured her. "He just wants to date Kikyo because _I_ dated her."

"Oh," Kagome realized. "So you think he'll come for me just because I'm dating you? That doesn't sound much better."  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "But then he'll get to know you and see that you're actually really nice. He just needs a reason to do that, and this is a good one."

Kagome bit her lip. "I don't know…"

Inuyasha set his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Kagome. This will work. Trust me."

Kagome seemed to think for a moment more before finally sighing.

"Okay," she conceded. "I'll do it."

Inuyasha couldn't help it; he hugged her.

"Thank you," he said into her hair. "I appreciate it."

Kagome awkwardly patted him on the back. "You're welcome. I have to tell Sango, though."

Inuyasha nodded. "I'm gonna tell Miroku, too. But later. Not at school."

It didn't sound all that great, but if it would help _both_ of them, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

Inuyasha went to head back to the lunchroom, but Kagome quickly stopped him.

"Wait, don't go back yet," she said quickly. Inuyasha frowned.

"But I'm hungry," he protested. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Let's wait a few more minutes," Kagome insisted. "I'm trying to play matchmaker." Inuyasha raised a brow.

"For who?" he asked. "Don't tell me Miroku and Sango." Kagome grinned.

"Yep," she confirmed. "Miroku keeps asking her out and Sango keeps saying no even though she actually does like him."  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Sango has bad taste in men." He eyed Kagome. "So do you. I see why you guys are friends."

Kagome glared at him. "Whatever. We can go back when there are five minutes left. Then we'll have time to finish eating quickly and hopefully dodge any questions they have." Inuyasha rolled his eyes again but nodded his agreement.

"So…" she began, "how is this dating stuff going to work? How are people going to know?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Kikyo's friends can't keep a secret. She probably told them what happened and I'm assuming they'll spread the word. The whole school will probably know by tomorrow." Kagome's eyes widened in horror.

"But I'm not ready for that!" she shrieked. Inuyasha chuckled.

"Oh, calm down," he replied. "We can figure it out. Do you want to meet up after school? I'll buy you a coffee to officially kick off our relationship." Despite her hesitation, Kagome laughed.

"Okay, fine," she conceded. She glanced up at the clock. "Let's head back now. I want to see how Sango is with Miroku."

When they reached the lunchroom, Kagome almost groaned.

Sango was frowning at Miroku as he talked to her, and Kagome could practically see all the ways Sango was considering killing him in her head.

"That's his flirting face," Inuyasha said as they approached the table. "Doesn't look like she's as interested as you said she was."

Kagome shook her head. "She is. He's just a bit...much."

Sango's face lit up in relief when Kagome and Inuyasha returned.

"You're back, finally," she said as they sat down. "Now spill. When did you guys start dating?" Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a glance.

"Yesterday," Kagome replied. "I gave him a ride home and he confessed his undying love for me right then and there." She smirked over at him. "Right, _dear?"_

Inuyasha grimaced but quickly hid it with a smile. "That's right, _sweetheart."_

"So how was it while we were gone?" Kagome said, switching the conversation. "Did you two have fun?"

Sango looked like she was about to bring the "relationship" back up, but the bell rang, signaling that lunch was officially over.

"Gotta go," Kagome said hurriedly as she stood up. "See you later." She spared a glance at Sango. "I'll text you, I promise."

O.o.O.o.O

After school, Inuyasha waited for Kagome in the same hallway from yesterday. He'd physically seen Koga walk into the bathroom, so he figured he'd set the stage for the jealousy trap.

"Hey," Kagome greeted when she saw him. "Can we hurry? This is the bathroom that…"

The door swung open and Koga exited the bathroom. Inuyasha nearly burst out laughing at the look on Kagome's face.

"Just look at me," he whispered subtly. "Act like you didn't notice him." Kagome looked like she wanted to argue, but Inuyasha just reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

He saw Koga glance at them from the corner of his eye when he walked past, and there it was.

_Bingo._

The confusion and curiosity in Koga's eyes were all it took for Inuyasha to know the trap had been officially set.

Once Koga was gone, Kagome frowned at Inuyasha. "Why did you do that?"  
Inuyasha took her hand and started leading her to the parking lot. "Koga saw us together, so when the rumor of our 'relationship' gets around, he'll have seen it firsthand. That was nail number one in the coffin."  
Kagome huffed and tried to pull her hand from his gasp. "Don't describe falling for me as a ' _coffin.'_ Now let go of my hand." Inuyasha tugged it closer, not letting her go free.

"Remember our plan!" he insisted. "We have to actually play the part. Now I'll drive to the coffee place and then bring you back here when we're done. Okay?"

Honestly, it looked like it was the _last_ thing Kagome wanted to do, but she didn't argue. She let her hand go limp in his grasp and was quiet as they walked to his car.

Inuyasha subtly glanced around for Kikyo and saw her getting into her car. She froze when she saw them, but Inuyasha avoided her gaze.

_Bingo number two._

It was a quiet drive to the coffee shop. Inuyasha was trying to figure out how exactly they were going to pull this off when Kagome spoke.

"Your car smells really good," she said. "Do you have air freshener or something?" Inuyasha's eyes widened.

He'd spilt a bottle of his old cologne in the backseat a few months ago, and despite spending two hours cleaning the seats, the scent had never fully gone away.

Kikyo hated the smell on him, so he'd stopped wearing it. He'd forgotten he had a bottle back there for several months, unused due to Kikyo's dislike of it. After it spilled, Kikyo refused to ride in his car because it was so strong.

It was one of the many things he hated about their relationship, her habit of constantly trying to change things about him, but he hadn't been at the point where he wanted to break up.

But Kagome liked the smell. That was a pleasant surprise.

"I spilled cologne back there a while ago," Inuyasha explained. "I tried to wash it out but it didn't work." Kagome hummed.

"It's nice," she replied. "But you don't smell like it. Why does just your car?"

Inuyasha hesitated. "I stopped wearing it a while ago." Luckily, they'd arrived at the coffee shop. Inuyasha parked quickly and turned off the engine.

"Are you ready, _sweetheart?"_ he asked teasingly. Kagome laughed.

"Yes, _dear,"_ she replied.

They walked into the coffee shop and ordered their drinks. Inuyasha insisted on paying for Kagome's, which she obviously didn't want him to do, but he played it off as wanting to pay for their "first date." That got an eye roll as she went to find a place to sit while he waited for their drinks.

When the drinks were ready, Inuyasha carried them over to where Kagome was seated at a small table. Sitting across from her, he gave her the coffee and opened the lid of his own to let it cool off.

Kagome tapped the sides of her cup. "So...how are we going to do this?"  
Inuyasha shrugged. "I could pick you up for school," he suggested. "And we'd eat lunch together, hold hands in the hallway, that kind of dating crap."

Kagome didn't answer for a moment.

"Okay," she finally replied. "How long do you think we'll have to do that?" Inuyasha took a small sip of his coffee.

"Long enough for Kikyo to lose interest in me," he replied. "And long enough for Koga to gain interest in you."  
Kagome frowned. "Okay...but how long do you think that'll take? A week, two weeks?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha admitted. "But I'm nice enough. I don't think fake-dating me is gonna be that hard."

That got a smile from Kagome. "I guess," she teased. "So does that mean you're picking me up for school tomorrow?" Inuyasha nodded and Kagome's eyes lit up.

"That's great," she replied. "I hate driving. And your car smells really good. I can pay for gas, though." Inuyasha shook his head.

"Nah, don't worry about it," he replied. "I dragged you into this in the first place. Once you and Koga get together, _then_ you can pay me back. For my services."

Kagome laughed. "For your fake-boyfriend services?" Inuyasha nodded solemnly.

"I'm more than just a good time," he said seriously. Kagome nearly choked.

"Um, _what?"_ she asked, horrified.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I was joking. So what time should I pick you up tomorrow?"

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome peeked out the window to watch for Inuyasha's car.

Her stomach was doing constant flips, her mind racing at the plan she and Inuyasha had come up with.

She sighed. All she wanted was Koga's attention, but she'd never expected she could possibly get it from _this._

But Inuyasha seemed really certain about their plan, so she was just going with it.

She'd called Sango after getting home the previous evening to tell her about the situation, and she thought Sango was going to die of laughter.

"Are you serious, Kagome?" Sango had asked. "Like, for _real?"_

So maybe Kagome was a little desperate, but that just warranted drastic measures.

She'd eventually convinced Sango to go along with the ruse, and Sango promised she would help how she could by casually mentioning the relationship to some of her friends in a couple classes. The gossip would no doubt spread like fire through the school, so Kagome was really hoping this would be a very brief event.

Her stomach did a final flip when she saw Inuyasha pull up in front of her house. She took a deep breath, grabbed her backpack, and walked out toward his car.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he greeted cheerfully. "You look lovely today."

Kagome grimaced. "We're not at school, Inuyasha. You don't need to use the nickname."  
Inuyasha laughed. "Just practicing."

At least his car smelled good for the ride she was now trapped into taking every morning for who _knows_ how long.

When they pulled up to the school, Inuyasha parked and paused before getting out.

"Are you ready?" he asked. "It's our first official day as lovers." Kagome rolled her eyes and unclipped her seatbelt.

"Gross," she replied. "Just...yuck." Inuyasha laughed as he got out of the car and grabbed his backpack from the backseat.

To her own surprise, Kagome was the first to reach for his hand before they walked through the parking lot and into the school.

Kagome immediately felt self-conscious, not used to having so many eyes on her. Inuyasha was fairly well-known in school for dating Kikyo, and Kagome wasn't quite a pariah, but she definitely wasn't popular.

"You alright?" Inuyasha asked as they walked.

Kagome nodded and Inuyasha gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

She pretended not to notice the pairs of eyes on her and the whispers she heard.

Inuyasha was right; the news of their "relationship" definitely did travel throughout the school in one night.

"Everyone's looking," she whispered. Inuyasha smiled.

"Good," he replied. "That's what we want." Kagome tried to focus straight ahead of her as they walked and was grateful when they reached her classroom.

Inuyasha gently squeezed her hand again before letting go.

"I'll see you at lunch," he said. Kagome nodded and gave him a small smile before disappearing into her classroom.

Even when she walked through the halls without Inuyasha, people still looked at her.

When lunchtime came around, Inuyasha was waiting for her right outside the cafeteria. He smiled when he saw her and reached out his hand.

Kagome took it, her heart racing.

_Koga is gonna see us,_ she realized. _This is it…_

Hand-in-hand, Inuyasha and Kagome entered the lunchroom and walked to the table where Sango was waiting for them.

"Hey, lovebirds," Sango greeted. "Have you been having a nice day so far?" Inuyasha laughed, but Kagome just blushed from embarrassment.

Miroku joined them soon after and sat down across from Sango.

"Dearest Sango," he cooed. "I missed you so much today." Sango rolled her eyes and threw a baby carrot at him.

Inuyasha sat down across from Kagome as she glanced around the lunchroom.

Her eyes caught on Koga as he walked in. She looked at Inuyasha, silently letting him know Koga had entered.

Inuyasha glanced over before looking back at Kagome and taking her hand across the table.

Koga started moving toward their table, causing Kagome's heart to start racing.

Before he reached them, he turned and made his way to a different table.

_Kikyo's_ table.

He sat down right next to her and smiled, obviously trying to start up a flirtatious conversation.

Kagome pulled her hand from Inuyasha's and sighed.

Sango handed Kagome a cookie.

"Here," she said. "You look like you need it."

Inuyasha turned around and looked at Kikyo's table. When he turned back to Kagome, he grinned.

"Kikyo looks like he's the last person she wants to sit with," he explained. "This is good. He's after her like I thought he would be, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. This is _good,_ Kagome. It's working out like we thought it would."

Kagome shrugged, but uncertainty was ringing through her head.

To be continued…


	2. Part II

**The Ruse: Part II**

It took almost two weeks for any real changes to happen.

It was two weeks of handholding in the hallways, sitting together at lunch, picking Kagome up for school, and walking her to class.

Kikyo had been upset immediately, and she'd even called Inuyasha a few days after he and Kagome started "dating."

Inuyasha had answered, just to hear her tear-choked voice.

"Why are you dating her, Inuyasha?" Kikyo had asked. "The day after we ended? Were _you_ the one cheating on _me_?"  
Inuyasha scoffed. "Of course not, and you know that. You don't get to ask me about my life anymore. There is absolutely no way I'll ever take you back, got it? Lose my number and don't ever speak to me again."

Then he hung up.

His part of the deal was successful. He felt like he'd officially gotten Kikyo back for cheating on him, and he was pretty sure she finally got the hint.

All that was left was Kagome's part of the deal.

Koga had stopped sitting with Kikyo at lunch and had gone back to sitting with his football friends. That was Inuyasha's clue that he'd finally lost interest in Kikyo.

At lunch two weeks after they'd made their plan, Kagome was obviously losing hope.

"So I have good news," Inuyasha said as they ate lunch. "Koga isn't sitting at Kikyo's table anymore."  
Kagome frowned at him. "And? What does that have to do with me?"

Inuyasha smiled. "It means he gave up on trying to date her. Just like I said, right? So now we know what happens next."

Sighing, Kagome sighed. "I don't know, Inuyasha. I'm about ready to just call it quits."

"And you were such a lovely couple," Miroku teased. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Kagome continued, "he hasn't even _looked_ at me at all. I just don't think-"

She cut herself off, her gaze set off behind Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked at her and waited for her to continue speaking. When she didn't and only gave a small smile to whatever she was looking at before looking back to the food in front of her, Inuyasha wondered what was up.

"What were you looking at?" Inuyasha asked as he started to turn around. Kagome grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Don't look!" she hissed. Inuyasha frowned, surprised by her urgency as well as the blush on her cheeks.

"Koga looked at me," she said quietly. "He...he smiled at me from his seat." Inuyasha grinned.

"What did I tell you, sweetheart?" he teased. "I called it, didn't I?" Kagome finally smiled and shook her head.

"Whatever, dear," she replied. "So now what?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "We keep up the ruse. He'll talk to you eventually, so we just need to wait for that. Once he starts showing real interest, you and I will 'break-up.' Easy as that."

Sango sighed loudly. "You sure are basing this on speculation." She looked at Kagome. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this? You could always just talk to Koga. You don't necessarily need a fake relationship to do that."

Kagome shook her head. "Inuyasha has been right so far," she pointed out. "So...we're just going to keep doing this."

Inuyasha smiled at her and nodded. The gossip about them dating hadn't died down, but at least Kagome had this little bit of progress.

The smile on her face spoke volumes.

Inuyasha couldn't help but notice that it was a really _nice_ smile. Kagome was just _nice_ in general.

During their rides to and from school, they would talk about anything and everything. She would also always compliment the smell of his car, so he'd started wearing that cologne again.

Kagome was funny and just overall a great person. He looked forward to the time they got to spend together in his car, so he'd started suggesting they go to the coffee shop more often. They went the day after they first went, and Inuyasha had suggested they go another three times during their current week.

He just wanted to be near her.

And he didn't know why.

Whatever the reason was, he didn't care. She'd become a really good friend, so had Sango for that matter after eating lunch with her every day, so Inuyasha wasn't really complaining about his and Kagome's deal.

In fact, he was going to be disappointed when it was over. He was secretly hoping Kagome would still want to hang out with him. At least occasionally.

Despite the progress they'd made, Koga hadn't made any other moves on Kagome. He still looked at her every day at lunch, but he made no efforts to talk to her.

Inuyasha could tell it was starting to really get to her, so he'd offered to take her out for ice-cream after school instead of just coffee. She'd smiled her appreciation, but the disappointment about Koga was obviously still bothering her.

As they walked to the parking lot, hand-in-hand as usual, Inuyasha saw Kikyo up ahead.

"Have you seen Inuyasha?" she asked another student walking past her. The student shook his head and walked outside to the parking lot.

"Oh, crap," Inuyasha grumbled. "I thought she'd gotten the hint." Kagome frowned and glanced at Kikyo.

"She's gonna see you when we walk past," Kagome said. "So...maybe we should go a different way." Inuyasha was firm in his resolve to end Kikyo's obsession with him, so he stopped Kagome and turned to look at her. When he saw Kikyo start to turn toward them, Inuyasha moved.

He cupped Kagome's cheeks in his hands and kissed her.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome was surprised at the flip her heart did at the unexpected move from Inuyasha.

She knew he was desperate to be rid of Kikyo's attentions, but she never expected him to kiss her.

But he was honestly a pretty good kisser, so she wasn't really complaining.

She found herself getting lost in the kiss as he slipped his hands into her hair, and she wondered if he was feeling the same way.

Surprising her again, Inuyasha gently tilted her head to kiss her a little deeper, and Kagome marveled at his pleasant taste.

She wondered what it would be like after they ate their ice-cream.

As Inuyasha continued to kiss her, Kagome tried to wipe that mentality from her head. Inuyasha's kiss was obviously done out of desperation, so she highly doubted it would ever even happen again.

But she felt like the feel of his soft lips against hers was something she would really want to experience again, even if just for a moment.

It was all very confusing.

She was disappointed when he placed a final kiss on her lips before pulling away.

Kagome opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar intensity in Inuyasha's golden orbs. He slid his hands from her hair down to her neck as he kept that heavy gaze on her.

Kagome licked her lips as Inuyasha's eyes glanced down to her mouth. It looked like he was about to go in for another kiss when a voice broke them apart.

"Excuse me! I realize it is after school but that sort of activity is still completely inappropriate!"

Inuyasha and Kagome jumped apart, the loud voice one of the administrators breaking the moment.

"Sorry," Kagome said quickly. "We were, um, just leaving." The teacher glared at them again before walking away.

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha to find his gaze dropped to the floor.

She glanced at the door and saw Kikyo was no longer there.

"Um," Kagome began hesitantly, "I think we scared Kikyo off." Inuyasha looked up to her and then the door before looking back at Kagome.

"Oh," he said. "Right." He took Kagome's hand, although a bit hesitantly, and began walking to the parking lot.

Kagome frowned at his back. Had he...forgotten why he kissed her in the first place?

Kagome shook her head. No way. He was just trying to show Kikyo she didn't have a chance with him.

But…

"Hey," Inuyasha said as they reached his car. "Um, do you mind if we take a raincheck on ice-cream? I have some stuff to do, so…"

Kagome nodded, bewildered by his sudden shift in mood.

_If I didn't know better,_ she thought to herself, _I would think he's a little thrown-off by that kiss. I'm thrown-off a bit, too, though…_

When they reached Kagome's house after a silent drive, Inuyasha put the car in park for a moment and looked at Kagome. She met his gaze unabashedly, a little worried about what could be on his mind.

Inuyasha just looked at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "I kinda panicked and...well, yeah." Kagome shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," she replied as she opened the car door. "I think it worked, so it was successful." Inuyasha smiled back at her, but Kagome could practically _feel_ how forced it was.

_What's up with him?_ she wondered. _Was he expecting me to be mad? It was a great kiss, so I don't have any complaints, but does he?_

"See you tomorrow," was all Kagome said as she got out of the car.

She pondered over what happened for the rest of the evening. She debated calling Sango to talk to her about it, but before she could, her phone lit up with a phone call from an unfamiliar number.

Kagome hesitated but finally answered.

"Hello?"

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha had been laying on his bed since he'd gotten home and flopped right onto it after he'd dropped Kagome off at school.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

_That kiss was incredible,_ he mused. _I've never felt like that during a kiss, not even with Kikyo._

Inuyasha huffed and allowed his mind to be flooded by Kagome.

He thought of her laughter, the sweetness of her scent, the way her blue eyes lit up when she smiled, the way her lips felt against his, so perfectly molded that it felt like they were destined to meet.

Inuyasha groaned as he grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head.

He stayed like that until a knock came on his door.

"Inuyasha?" his mother called when he grunted for her to come in. "It's time for dinner."

He didn't bother removing the pillow.

The bed shifted as his mother sat down next to him.

"Are you still upset about Kikyo?" she asked gently. Inuyasha shook his head.

"No," he replied as he finally moved the pillow. "But…"

His mother smiled. "But...there's another girl?" Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"How did you know?" His mother laughed at his surprise.

"Sometimes moms just know things," she said matter-of-factly. "Now what's her name?"

Inuyasha sighed before explaining the situation to his mother. The only thing he left out was the kiss; he and his mother were close, but he still wanted to keep that to himself.

"So she's awesome," he said, "but she's into another guy, which is why we're pretending to date but now…"

His mother nodded. "Now you've fallen for her."

Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah." His mother patted his hand and stood up from his bed.

"Let's have dinner," she said, "and then we can talk more. You always feel better after you eat."

Inuyasha couldn't fight the grin that came to his face. His mother knew him too well.

At dinner, his mother mentioned the situation to his father. Luckily, his half-brother had moved out several years ago, so he only had to deal with two prying people. Not that his brother would have cared one way or another, anyway.

"So tell her how you feel," his father said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Inuyasha shook his head.

"No," he replied. "She's into another guy, so…"  
His father rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Inuyasha," he chided. "Didn't you say Kagome and the boy you don't like haven't even talked yet? That means you still have a chance!"

Before he could argue, his mother stopped him with a smile. "Your father is right, dear. If you wait any longer, you might miss your chance."

Finally, Inuyasha nodded. "Okay. I'll tell her tomorrow."

He spent the rest of the night trying to come up with how to tell Kagome about his newfound feelings.

"Hey, so I've been thinking," he practiced out loud. "These past couple weeks of fake dating have been awesome, but maybe we should start dating for real."

Inuyasha shook his head. _That sounds too lame._

It wasn't until nearly the middle of the night that he thought of exactly what he wanted to say. All that was left was to tell Kagome how he felt.

_Ew, feelings suck._

o.O.o

The next day when Inuyasha pulled up to Kagome's house, he psyched himself up for his confession. He'd practiced what he was going to say about a thousand times, but a little extra pep talk with himself wouldn't hurt.  
His gut clenched when she walked out of her house. She had a very obvious bounce in her step, and her cheeks were bright.

She looked happy.

_Really_ happy.  
Inuyasha's eyes widened. _Is she happy about the kiss yesterday? That must mean she feels the same way about me._

Resolve strengthening anew, Inuyasha smiled at her as she opened the passenger door and got in.

"Guess what?" she said excitedly. Before Inuyasha could answer, Kagome squealed.

"Koga called me last night!" she shrieked.

Inuyasha's gut sank, probably all the way deep down into his butt.

"That's great," he replied. "How did it go?"

Kagome breathed a heavy sigh of contentment. "Well, he got my number from someone we both know, and he said that he's kind of been into me for a little while. We didn't talk for too long because it was kinda late, but it was awesome!"

Inuyasha put the car in drive and pulled back onto the street.

"That's great," he repeated. "Did he ask you out or anything?"

_Please say no, please say no, please say no…_

"Nope," Kagome replied. _Yes! Thank goodness._

"But he asked if you and I were exclusive," she continued. "When I asked why, that's when he told me he had a thing for me and wanted to see if I was actually single or not."

_Never mind on the thank goodness...no thank you, goodness!_

"So...what did you say?" Inuyasha asked.

"I said that we weren't completely official," she replied. "That we were dating, but not totally exclusively. He seemed pretty happy about that. Before we hung up, he said, 'I'll talk to you tomorrow, Kagome.'"

She leaned her head back against the headrest of her seat and sighed again.

"I can't believe our little ruse worked," she said happily before sitting back up and setting her attention on Inuyasha. "I can't thank you enough."

Inuyasha nodded, keeping his gaze on the road. One look into his eyes would tell her exactly what he was feeling.

"So I guess we should feed a break-up rumor?" she suggested. "It shouldn't be too hard to do. Word spread about our 'relationship' quickly enough."

Inuyasha zoned out on what she was saying for a moment as he realized what exactly this all meant.

_No more car rides…_

_No more coffee shops…_

_No more lunches together or hand-holds in the hallway…_

_No future opportunities to sneak another kiss…_

"Are you okay?"

The concern in Kagome's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry," he said, finally daring to glance at her. "I'm just tired." Kagome reached over and laid the back of her hand over his forehead.

"Are you sick?" she asked. "It doesn't feel like you have a fever." Inuyasha looked at her again and the expression on her face almost had him stopping the car to kiss her until she knew _exactly_ how he felt about her.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Just tired." Kagome didn't seem to believe him, but she dropped the subject.

"So I guess it's almost time for me to pay up," she said a few moments later. "You said I could pay you back for gas when my part of the deal was upheld and it seems like that's coming up quickly. Let's see...two-and-a-half weeks to and from school...I'm not a math whiz so maybe you should calculate how much that would be."

Inuyasha shrugged. "You don't need to pay me back. It was fun."

Kagome seemed a little surprised, but she soon laughed. "Yeah, it _was_ fun. We should go to the coffee shop together, though. I've gotten a little too addicted to their caffeine to not go anymore."

"Just take Koga," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath.

He felt Kagome turn to look at him. "What?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nothing." Luckily, the school was in view. He pulled into the parking lot and avoided meeting Kagome's questioning look.

After he'd parked the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition, Kagome set a hand on his arm to keep him from getting out.

"Hey," she said, her tone soft and serious. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Inuyasha finally dared to look at her and nearly crumbled under the weight of her gaze.

A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, a thousand desires, but he ignored them.

_She has Koga. My part is done._

"I'm fine," he lied. "Let's go. I don't want to be late."

As they walked into the school hand-in-hand like usual, Inuyasha basked in the feel of her touch.

_It'll be gone soon,_ he realized as they made their way to Kagome's class. _Pretty soon Koga will be in my position. Except as, like, a_ real _boyfriend._

When they reached Kagome's class, she smiled at him a final time before squeezing his hand.

When she let go, Inuyasha felt the emptiness of his palm like a lead weight.

He went straight to the boys' bathroom and skipped first period. He texted Miroku, telling him to try and get a bathroom pass to meet him to talk.

Inuyasha was hiding in a stall when Miroku arrived.

"Inuyasha?" he called.

The silver-haired boy opened the stall door and nodded a greeting at Miroku.

Miroku's eyes widened. "You look like crap. What the heck happened to you?"

Inuyasha groaned. "Kagome happened to me, that's what." Then he explained what exactly had happened.

When he got to the kiss, Miroku's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"You guys _kissed?"_ he repeated. "But she still wants to date Koga?"

Inuyasha threw his hands up. "It was a fake kiss! It...well, it was fake at first but then it just felt...right. I never felt that with Kikyo even when things were really good. Kikyo kept wanting to change all this stuff about me, but Kagome...Kagome has never been like that. She accepts me for _me._ But we're not even dating!"

Miroku shook his head. "You've got a big problem. You just need to tell her how you feel before Koga asks her out. That's all you really _can_ do."

Inuyasha nodded firmly. "Yeah, you're right. I'll do it! Screw Koga and that potential crap. Before lunch, I'm gonna march right up to Kagome and lay it all out for her. She better get ready because I'm coming in hot."

o.O.o

"Koga asked me out!"

Inuyasha nearly punched the wall.

He'd been totally prepared to tell Kagome how he felt when he met up with her before lunch. He definitely wasn't expecting this.

"When?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Before you got here," she replied cheerfully. "He said he really enjoyed talking to me last night and asked if I wanted to get dinner tonight."

Inuyasha forced a smile. "That's great. We can start spreading the word that we broke up now. So...I'll see you around, I guess." He went to walk away, but Kagome's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Wait," she said. "Don't you want to eat lunch together like normal?" Inuyasha gently pulled his arm away.

"You need to make room for Koga, right?" he asked. "Miroku and I will sit somewhere else. He'll deal with not being around Sango. They're already dating so he'll survive."

_At least that's one good thing that came out of this,_ Inuyasha realized. _Miroku and Sango finally got together._

"Inuyasha, don't be like that."

Inuyasha paused and looked back at her. "I'll see you around, Kagome."

Walking away from her was like a knife to his stomach, but he couldn't be around her if she started dating Koga. It would be too hard.

_Might as well make a clean break with her before I dig myself even deeper._

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome's jaw dropped when Inuyasha walked away from her. She saw him go straight to their usual lunch table, grab Miroku by the back of the shirt, and practically drag him to the other side of the cafeteria. They exited out the door that led to the courtyard where students could eat lunch.

_They're going to freeze out there,_ Kagome thought to herself. _Why is Inuyasha acting like this?_

She was upset; she really liked being friends with Inuyasha and spending time with him. Koga asking her out is what she'd wanted, but she didn't want to lose Inuyasha over it.

She sighed as she finally walked into the lunchroom to sit down with Sango.

_Inuyasha just made the decision for me,_ she realized. _So...if he wants to act like that, then so be it._

"Inuyasha said Koga asked you out," Sango said as soon as Kagome sat down. "Are you excited? We have to pick out what you're gonna wear!"

Kagome nodded before glancing at the doors through which Inuyasha and Miroku exited.

"Did they say where they were going?" she asked. Sango shook her head.

"Nah," she replied. "Inuyasha just kinda grabbed Miroku and said 'bro business.' I guess it's code for something because Miroku didn't fight him on it." Sango frowned. "Why? Did something happen?"

Kagome shrugged. "I told Inuyasha that Koga asked me out and he pretty much fake broke up with me." Sango laughed.

"Well, yeah," she replied. "He got Kikyo off his back and you got Koga to ask you out. 'Breaking up' was the next box to check."

Kagome shook her head. "No, it wasn't like that. It feels like he broke up with me as a _friend,_ too. He just said 'see you around' and that was it. He said he wants to make room for Koga now."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Inuyasha is emotionally-constipated. He's obviously jealous but doesn't want to say anything because Koga finally asked you out."

Kagome went to argue, but then her thoughts drifted to their kiss…

"You're thinking about the kiss, huh?"

Kagome blushed. "Um, yeah. How could you tell?"

Sango smiled. "The blush, duh. So what are you gonna do?"  
Kagome sighed. "There's nothing to do. Even if Inuyasha were jealous, which I doubt he is, that wouldn't matter. We were just friends. I liked Koga. I still do, which is why I'm going out with him. I really hope Inuyasha will come around, but I don't know if that'll happen."

Sango shook her head and took a bite of her salad. "Inuyasha probably likes you. That would be my guess."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "Um, _what?_ No, he doesn't." Sango shrugged.

"Whatever you say," she replied. "Miroku thinks he does, too. Inuyasha hasn't told him anything, but Miroku can tell."

Kagome was speechless.

_Could he actually_ like _me? We've gotten to know each other pretty well since we started "dating," but…_

o.O.o

Kagome was trying to get ready for her date, but she was having a lot of trouble focusing.  
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked from her perch on Kagome's bed. "Are you nervous?"

Oddly enough, Kagome wasn't nervous. She was simply going absolutely crazy.

"Do you really, really think Inuyasha likes me?" she blurted.

Sango was quiet for a moment before she smiled brightly. "Why? Do _you_ like _him?"_

Kagome shook her head quickly. "No! I'm going out with Koga, the guy whose attention I've been trying to get since, well, for a long time!"

Sango shrugged. "People's feelings change. Yours might have changed. I mean, you and Inuyasha spent a lot of time together. Maybe you're so used to wanting to date Koga that you can't see that your feelings have changed."

Kagome didn't respond as she slipped a long-sleeved dress on over her tights. "I don't know, Sango. I just want to get through this date and then I'll think about it."

Sango hummed. "'Get through it?' Wow, Kagome. It doesn't sound like you're all that excited to go."

As usual, Sango hit the nail on the head.

"You're too smart for your own good," Kagome muttered. Sango laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Try to have fun on the date," Sango encouraged. "You've been waiting long enough for it."

Kagome nodded and grabbed a pair of boots to wear with her dress.

Once she'd zipped up her boots, ran a brush through her hair, and tossed on a scarf, she held her arms out.

"How do I look?" she asked Sango.

Sango smiled. "Like a knock-out."

Sango left when Kagome received a text from Koga letting her know he was on his way.

As she waited for him to arrive, Kagome's thoughts were completely jumbled.

_Inuyasha might like me...but do I like him? We've become really good friends and he's cool and funny and nicer than he seems._

She sighed.

_But then there's Koga, who I've had a crush but I've never talked to...I don't know much about him...and Inuyasha doesn't like him…_

Luckily, the doorbell broke her from her thoughts.

She gave herself a final once-over in the mirror before heading downstairs.

Koga was polite to her family and had brought her flowers. Kagome had to hide a grimace as her mom smiled her approval.

Kagome made a mental note to talk to her later; her mother gave pretty good advice.

One the way to the restaurant, Koga was incredibly friendly and gave an actual effort to get to know her. She was enjoying the conversation, but something just felt off.

She couldn't pinpoint it, but throughout the entire date, something was nagging at her.

They were waiting for the bill to come after they'd eaten dinner when Koga brought up Inuyasha.

"So you and Inuyasha were a thing," he mentioned. "I gotta say I'm glad it's over. I had a great time with you tonight."

" _...it's over…"_

That's when Kagome knew.

Koga wasn't the one she wanted to date.

It was Inuyasha.

Now that she'd finally realized it, she wondered if it had _always_ been Inuyasha.

When Koga walked her to her front door when they got to her house, Kagome crossed her fingers that he wouldn't try to kiss her.

To her relief, he just pressed a light kiss to her cheek before leaving. Once his car had disappeared down the street, Kagome ran into her house.

"Mom, I'll be back later! I have to run an important errand!" Before anyone could stop her, Kagome grabbed her car keys and ran to the driver's side.

She slung the car in reverse and all but peeled down the street in the direction of Inuyasha's house.

As she drove, she called Sango.

"How was the date?" Sango asked when she answered the phone.

"I'm going to see Inuyasha," Kagome replied. "Koga is nice but he's not Inuyasha."

Sango laughed lightly. "I called it."

Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you did."

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha heard the doorbell ring downstairs, but he didn't bother moving. His mother was still up, probably watching one of her soap operas, so he just rolled over in his bed and sighed.

Then he heard footsteps literally _thundering_ up the stairs.

Inuyasha sat up, wondering why his mother or father was running so intensely like that.

A heavy knock came at his door. When he called for whomever it was to come in, the door opened to reveal Kagome.

His eyes widened as he took her in. She practically slammed the door behind her, her eyes ablaze with something akin to desperation.

She looked amazing, obviously dressed in what she would have worn on her date with Koga.

_Wait...why isn't she on her date with Koga?_

"Hey," he greeted. "What are you-"

"I like you!" Kagome exclaimed. "Not in a fake way to get someone else's attention or to get back at an ex for cheating or any other reason other than the fact that I like you so much and I never want to not ride to school with you or hold your hand in the hallway or get the chance to kiss you again."

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat as she stopped herself. She blushed deeply in the cute way he'd gotten so used to seeing, but right then, it wasn't cute.

It was attractive. _Very_ attractive.

"Koga is nice," Kagome said, a bit calmer. "But he's not _you._ So...do with that information what you will. I shouldn't have...wow, it's really late. It was stupid of me to come. I'm sorry-" As she spoke, she went to put her hand on the doorknob, no doubt to leave his room.

"Don't go," Inuyasha said as he stood up. He walked straight over to Kagome, his arms winding around her waist as he moved her back against the door.

He moved closer to her, melting their bodies together as he looked down at her and she looked up at him.

"Over the last two weeks," he began quietly, "I fell harder for you than I ever have for anyone in my entire life. Everything you just said...I don't want to not do it with you either."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Even...even that kiss?"

Inuyasha broke.

He kissed her chastely at first, wanting to reacquaint himself with the way his lips felt against hers.

Kagome brought her arms up to wrap around his neck, her hands moving up into his long, silver hair. Inuyasha pulled her impossibly closer, daring to physically ask for entrance into her mouth.

Kagome obliged and Inuyasha nearly sighed when he caught her taste.

The cavern hidden behind her lips was sweet and _intense_. He kissed her deeper, titling his head to kiss her from every angle possible.

It was enthralling and passionate and everything he'd hoped and _knew_ it would be.

When they finally pulled away, Kagome looked up at him with a smile on her face.

"So...I'm guessing you like me, too?"

Inuyasha laughed and pulled her into his arms. "I guess your taste in men isn't as bad as I thought it was." He leaned his forehead gently against hers.

"Yes, woman. I like you, too."

FIN.


End file.
